1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing small prints, a method for producing such prints, and a program for producing such prints. Each of the apparatus, method and program according to this invention is suitable for application, for example, to a specialized tape printing machine, a tape printing system in which a personal computer and a label printer are interconnected to each other, a specialized stamp (signet) making machine, and a stamp making system in which a personal computer is connected to stamp making peripherals.
2. Description of the Related Art
A specialized tape printing machine, for example, is designed to print a string or strings of input characters on a continuous tape, where desired, and to discharge and cut a printed tape length. This tape length with the characters printed thereon is generally called a label. The term character used here is construed as further including symbols, pictograms, outer frames, tint blocks and the like.
As described above, prints produced by the tape printing machine are utilized as labels, and therefore, they are frequently ornamented with respect to their respective print contents as compared with prints in common use. To cope with this trend, the tape printing machine is loaded with various ornamental functions.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-328791 discloses a printing apparatus in which graphics, but not lines, are printed in a front ruling portion or a rear ruling portion of an outer frame, the outer frame being provided to enclose therein a string or strings of input characters. Here, the front ruling portion corresponds to an upper ruling portion in vertical writing, and the rear ruling portion corresponds to a lower ruling portion in vertical writing. In this description, it should be noted that front ruling portions in outer framing and tabulation in horizontal writing as well as upper ruling portions in outer framing and tabulation in vertical writing are simply collectively termed as “front ruling portions,” whereas rear ruling portions of outer framing and tabulation in horizontal writing as well as lower ruling portions in outer framing and tabulation in vertical writing are simply collectively termed as “rear ruling portions.”
In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-3142802 discloses a printing apparatus in which one or a plurality of designated characters other than a line or lines are printed in small posture and in linear arrangement on an outer ruling portion, the outer ruling portion being provided to enclose therein a string or strings of input characters.
The conventional printing apparatus of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-328791, however, has a problem in that pairs of graphics capable of forming a front ruling portion and a rear ruling portion in outer framing are limited to those prepared in advance in the apparatus. Thus, the user has a narrow range of options in choosing the graphics. Another problem is that because the graphics for use in the front ruling portion and those for use in the rear ruling portion are placed in paired relation to each other, the user has no option but choose the graphics by pair. This imposes further restriction on patterns that can form the front ruling portion and the rear ruling portion. In order to open up the options, the apparatus must store numerous pairs of graphics for the front and rear ruling portions, resulting in increased memory elements which may in the end all for scaling up of the apparatus.
In the conventional apparatus of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-314802, the character or characters can be arbitrarily chosen which are linearly arranged in the outer ruling portion. However, this apparatus poses a problem in that since the character arrangement is made in a linear posture, the ornamental effects so obtained are poorer than those obtained by arranging graphics in the front and rear ruling portions.